What is the CONNECTED project?
Eating disorders cost the UK economy £15 billion a year. According to BEAT (an eating disorder charity) hospital admissions for eating disorders have increased by 37% in the last two years, excerbated by the isolation and social changes brought by covid-19 living restrictions.
Social behaviours and the quality of adolescent relationships predict the development of disordered eating and eating disorders and it's course and outcomes.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and eating disorder, the most common diagnosis at eating disorder clinics, often co-occur. However, ASD is not as common in younger populations. This could be due to ASD traits are more prominent by age and prolonged illness. It could also be that social communication deficits are harder to recognise in adolescents as social behaviours are still developing and/or are affected by other issues such as social anxiety.
Adolescence is characterised by change in brain structure, plasticity and function.